The latest poverty report, authored by the Ministry of Social Development Principal Advisor, Bryan Perry, shows New Zealand is behind regarding child poverty statistics, when compared with European nations.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, speaks to Staff Researcher for Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), Harry Yu Shi, about the findings of the report, and what policy proposals CPAG have outlined to mitigate the statistics.

In our catchup with the National party this week, Wire Host Castor asked MP Katie Nimon about several issues in the recent week of politics. Firstly, I asked about the death of Kiingi Tuheitia and the government’s response. I then asked about the potential arrival of Candace Owens, a far-right speaker from the United States who has been known for engaging in anti-semitism and holocaust denial. 

Castor then asked about a recent submission by the parliamentary commissioner for the environment, Simon Upton, regarding the government’s second draft emissions reduction plan. The submission makes several critiques of the government’s attitude towards emissions reduction, particularly criticising its promotion of short term solutions which could end up offloading responsibility onto future generations. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Castor spoke to MP Katie Nimon about each of these issues, starting off with the recent passing of Kīngi Tūheitia. 

This week on the Tuesday Wire... 

For Dear Science this week, we chatted with our expert Doctor Cushla McGoverin about bats with glowing toes, glue sealing wounds inside the body, and new technology to make green and yellow lasers. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Castor spoke to MP Katie Nimon about the death of Kiingi Tuheitia, Candace Owens potentially visiting Aotearoa, and the government’s second draft emissions reduction plan. 

They also spoke to Doctor Timothy Welch about the government’s recently announced transport funding allocation. 

With the return of the Green Desk, Jack Marshall talked to Sophie Journee from the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust about the waterways in an Auckland golf course. 

And News and Editorial Director, Joel Armstrong, spoke to Staff Researcher at Child Poverty Action Group, Harry Yu Shi, about a recent report showing Aotearoa has poor child poverty statistics compared to European countries.

For our weekly catch up, Producer Evie talks to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about more cuts to the health sector and the government’s solutions to the ‘energy crisis’.

News and Editorial Director, and Monday Host, Joel, speaks to Convenor for the New Zealand Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee, Chris Macklin, about the government's new amendments to gang patch legislation.

Evie speaks to Chief executive of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Paul Goulter about Te Whatu Ora offering voluntary redundancies.

Joel speaks to Co-Founder of Dayenu: New Zealand Jews Against Occupation, Justine Sachs, about calls for far-right figure and Holocaust denier, Candice Owens’ visa to be denied entry to Aotearoa.

And Evie talks to Greenpeace’s Ellie Hooper about Shane Jones slashing fishing levies by FIVE million dollars.

Calls have been made to deny the visa of far-right figure, Candace Owens, from visiting New Zealand as a part of her scheduled speaking tour at the end of the year.

Owens, who has a history of Islamophobia, homophobia, and anti-semetism, recently, on recent videos uploaded to her YouTube channel, questioned key elements of the Holocaust, such as the well-documented human experiments conducted by Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele as “bizzare propaganda,” calling the Holocaust “an ethnic cleansing that almost took place”.

Last week Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand announced they were offering voluntary redundancies to admin and advisory staff. This follows 268 roles already being cut from Te Whatu Ora’s commissioning team. 

The organisation has said that the “majority of their expenditure is on people costs, and Health NZ needs to review its size and structure.” Adding that “they are providing the opportunity for eligible staff to consider voluntary redundancy ahead of likely formal change consultation processes over the coming months.” 

However many health staff say a cut to admin will put more pressure on the already understaffed and overworked nurses, doctors and primary care workers. 

New Zealand Nurses Organisation Chief Executive Paul Goulter says Te Whatu Ora did not follow the correct consultation processes before arriving at the conclusion that there should be redundancies. 

He added that any reduction of staff will impact on the people who remain. Saying removal of supporting roles means that other staff must pick the work they’re doing, something he calls unacceptable. 

Producer Evie spoke to Goulter about Te Whatu Ora’s voluntary redundancies and the impacts they will have on other healthcare workers. 

Last week Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced that levies paid by the fishing industry will be slashed by nearly $5 million dollars. 

The levies are used to manage the environmental impacts of commercial fishing. This includes monitoring fish populations, making sure observers are on boats, and researching the impacts fishing is having on the wider ocean environment. 

The same day, Jones announced a bill that will extend coastal permits for marine farms by 20 years. 

It was opposed by Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori due to environmental concerns. Greenpeace says that Jones is prioritising private commercial gain over the wellbeing of the oceans. 

Producer Evie spoke to Greenpeace’s Ellie Hooper about the changes made by Shane Jones and the potential environmental impacts they could have on our oceans.

Recently, the government has amended gang legislation that would allow police officers to enter private properties of repeat offenders showcasing emblems, patches, and insignia.

The New Zealand Law Society sent an open letter, sent by the society’s vice president, David Campbell, outlining their concerns for the proposal.

The concerns raised include how gang insignia is identified, which if the clause is taken literally, could be interpreted as printed reproductions of logos, which could make it illegal to own newspapers or certain books with gang insignia in it, increasing in the risk of someone to be criminally liable around someone in possession of gang memorabilia, concerns that the amendment will have detrimental effects to communities and whānau in which gang members reside in, as well as infringing on rights protected by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Convenor for the New Zealand Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee, Chris Macklin, about the committee’s open letter and the ethics of the amendment.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party’s Carmel Sepuloni, Wire Host Caeden asks about her being announced as a contestant on Celebrity Treasure Island. They also ask about the current Government reversing the ban oil and gas exploration that was put in place by the last government in 2018.

For State of the States, our weekly kōrero on the United States election, Caeden speaks to Yale Daily News’ Andre Fa’aoso. They discuss Robert F. Kennedy Jr dropping out of the Presidential race to endorse Donald Trump, and the pro-Palestine protestors at the DNC and recent Kamala Harris campaign events. 

For City Counselling this week Sofia caught up with Councillor Julie Fairey about the annual Local Government New Zealand conference last week as well as Auckland Council’s Shoreline Adaptation Plans.

She also speaks to Greenpeace Aotearoa’s programme director, Niamh O’Flynn, about changes announced this week to the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. 

And she also speaks to lawyer Harry Clatworthy from Te Mata Law about the government’s plans to restore a tougher test for Maori customary title claims in the foreshore and seabed and the urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiry into this.

On Sunday, the government announced changes to the Fast Track Bill. 

Of the most notable of the changes, the Bill will no longer give three ministers sign-off powers, having now delegated that responsibility to a panel of independent experts.

This comes after widespread public protest and submissions against the Bill. 

Although these changes mean less power will be concentrated in the hands of three ministers than had been previously proposed, environmental groups continue to criticise the bill, saying these changes are not enough. 

Producer Sofia spoke to Greenpeace Aotearoa’s Programme Director, Niamh O’Flynn, about these changes and Greenpeace’s response.